


Birthday

by PerriewinkleNerdie



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Mild Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:14:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27532831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerriewinkleNerdie/pseuds/PerriewinkleNerdie
Summary: It's Claire's birthday and Ethan has plans.
Relationships: Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart)
Kudos: 13





	Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! It's that time of the year again, one year more on my back. Long story short, it's my birthday. To celebrate, I spent my day off writing this fic :D  
> Enjoy! <3

She felt a soft touch against her forehead, like a pair of lips pressing to her skin briefly. It wasn’t enough to rouse her from her sleep; if anything, it filled her with a sense of security, sending her further into her dreams.

Cards of various colors and sizes were stacked on the small table by the window, a few boxes sitting on the ground, waiting to be opened. When she got home last night, her friends pulled her to the living room to celebrate with her early, since they all had to go to work the next day. All except her.

A day off allowed her to sleep in, a luxury she didn’t experience that often nowadays. She turned all of her alarms off before she fell asleep, sinking into her bed with a happy sigh.

Now, the sun was gently illuminating her room, and a very faint scent of roses tickled her senses, pulling her out of her slumber. Her eyes slowly opened, vision clearing up after a few blinks. The smell she felt in her sleep came from somewhere to her left, and as soon as she turned in that direction, she knew what the source of it was.

Two dozen of red roses were sitting proudly on her bedside table. Claire didn’t have to guess who sent them; she’s received flowers from him before, and the way he asked for them to be arranged might as well have been his signature. As she sat up, she noticed a small note, sticking up above the surface of red petals.

_Smile for me today, gorgeous._

And she did, helplessly and brightly, warmth spreading throughout her body. Ethan sending her flowers and being so openly affectionate with her was something she got used to over time, but it still took her breath away every time.

The bouquet must have been brought to her by one of her roommates, as no one else was there to pick them up from the delivery company. She stretched slowly, then sat up, the shirt she stole from him a long time ago falling off her right shoulder. The only other thing she was wearing were her panties, so the thing keeping her warm was the duvet she still thrown over her. If he were there, he would have enjoyed the view.

Claire’s hands wrapped to her best ability around the vase that held the flowers and picked it up. Noticing how much water they were lacking already, she brought them to the kitchen, her vision blocked by the roses when she stepped into the kitchen.

“Now that’s a sight for sore eyes.” Ethan’s voice rang from somewhere ahead of her, concealed for the time being. She set the vase down on the counter, revealing his very relaxed form, standing by the stove, a towel thrown over his shoulder. His sleeves were rolled up, exposing the muscles of his forearms as he worked, transferring freshly baked waffles onto the already made stack.

“Likewise, Dr. Ramsey.” She muttered, her bare feet carrying her towards him languidly. He made sure everything was in order, then turned towards her, his hands between his back and the counter.

“You’ve got yourself some flowers there.” he nodded towards them with a smirk. She looked over her shoulder, admiring his present, laughing at his words.

“I thought I told you already, false humbleness isn’t a good look on you.”

Once she was close enough, her arms slowly made their way around his neck, pulling him down so their faces were at the same level. Ethan’s hands sneaked around her waist, squeezing her sides teasingly.

“Happy birthday.” Ethan whispered mere seconds before their lips met in one of the most tender kisses they ever shared. She breathed in slowly, steadying herself by tightening her embrace around him. Her feet were barely touching the ground, his hands holding her up; defying gravity and amplifying the lightheadedness she was felt every time they kissed.

“Thank you.” she hummed when the kiss broke, keeping her eyes closed for a moment longer. When she looked at him again, his blue irises had a mischievous glint in them, and soon enough, she knew why.

He began swaying them slowly, to the tune she couldn’t hear, his carefree demeanor rubbing off on her. Claire followed his lead, letting him dance her to the chair he pulled out earlier, spinning her in his arms before helping her sit down.

“Breakfast will be ready shortly. Do you want coffee or tea?” he asked on his way back to the stove. Taking the last waffle off the griddle, he turned the burner off, carrying the sweet pastry to the table along with more toppings than she could imagine.

“Coffee.”

He joined her by the table shortly, pulling out a chair and preparing a plate for her. Every time she tried to intervene, he would grin and kiss her hand before placing it down on the table. Her only job for now was to tell him what she wanted on her waffles.

“You’re spoiling me.” Claire teased, pulling him to her by his arm and pressing a kiss to his cheek, prompting a subtle blush to appear on his skin. He passed her the coffee, then helped himself to a serving of food.

“You deserve to be spoiled.” he responded like it was the most obvious thing in the whole wide world. She gave him an adoring smile, squeezing his shoulder briefly.

They dug into their food, joking about how much wiser she was supposed to be now that she’s turned 30. She huffed in fake offense, pinching his side in retaliation. The only reason they avoided a tickling war was the speed at which he raised his hands in surrender, laughing as he put himself out of her reach.

Once their plates were clean, they collaborated on cleaning the table and the kitchen. Ethan protested, saying that she shouldn’t be doing anything, but she was having none of that, saying that if she helped him, they would both be free to continue with their day. He couldn’t argue with that logic.

His eyes continuously traveled towards her body, observing with hungry eyes how her skin peaked from beneath the fabric of his shirt. Her bare shoulder was enough to get his imagination going, vivid visions running in his mind and driving him crazy.

“Do you have anything planned for us today?” Claire asked, leaning against the counter. Ethan put away the last plate, then turned to look at her.

“Not yet. Today is about you; you’re calling the shots here. Why?” his eyebrow inched higher, his gaze trained on her body once more.

“No reason. It’s just that…” she took a careful step towards him, pulling on the sleeve of his shirt to expose even more of her shoulder. His irises turned a shade darker, his focus laser sharp. “If you keep on undressing me with your eyes, we won’t get anywhere.”

Ethan’s steps were quiet, but confident when he strode up to her, pressing her against the counter. A suggestive smirk was all she could see from that close of a proximity. She breathed in and out deeply, waiting for his next move, brushing her hand against his with a barely-there touch.

In a flash, his arms wrapped around her and his knees bent, the upward momentum allowing him to throw her over his shoulder without any issues. Her delighted shriek was the only sound he wanted to hear in that moment, at least until he got her where he wanted her. The door to her bedroom slammed shut behind them right as her body met the mattress.

\------------

Two rounds later, Ethan propped his head up on his arm, lying on top of her covers, bare and completely relaxed. Claire was moving around the room, rotating between her wardrobe and her dresser, unable to come to the decision about her clothes for the day.

His eyes followed her, taking in every glorious inch of her naked body as it paraded right in front of him, the very recent memories of their bodies moving in sync flooding his mind, the sounds she was making ringing in his ears on the loop.

Rays of sunshine that fell through the windows brushed against his body, bringing out every line of the muscles that shaped his form.

“Are you sure you want to leave?” he asked, feigning innocent intentions when she shot him an amused look over her shoulder.

“I’m starving. After a marathon we just had, I need my energy. And besides, the view from the restaurant is amazing.” She argued, leaning forward to dig through one of her drawers, humming in victory when she found what she was looking for.

Ethan leaned up on his arms, straining his neck to see her fully. His voice was deep when he talked, distracted. “I’m quite enjoying the view I’m seeing right now.”

“Yeah?” Claire knew what he was talking about even before she turned to face him. When she eventually did, she made sure to lean even further as she did so, a strained groan escaping his lips at the sight. She bit her lip softly. “You’re about to enjoy it even more.”

Looking over her shoulder, she pulled on a new set of lingerie, swaying her hips a little to tease him more. His irises were so dark, they might as well have been black, his gaze swallowing her whole.

“Nothing looks better than you, naked for me.”

“Right back at ya.”

Smirking, she walked towards the bed, pushing his legs to make them lie flat. She then climbed on top of him, straddling his hips and making sure their bodies didn’t touch. He didn’t even try to hide his staring.

“Keep it up and I’m going to rip it off you. Your first and final warning, Claire.” His voice was deep and low, his restrain running out.

“Funny, it sounds like a promise to me.” she hummed, giggling when he shot her a heated look. Leaning down, she breathed out deeply as she spoke. “Get your sexy body out of my bed.” Claire’s lips pressed to his sternum, sending shots of heat right through him. “Get dressed.” Her kisses trailed upwards, lips sucking on the skin of his neck, pulling a broken gasp out of him. “And when we’re back at your apartment…” she went even higher, hovering her lips right above his. “… you’ll rip my dress right off my body.”

Out of patience, his head shot straight up, catching her off guard with a lingering kiss. His arms wrapped around her and with one, practiced move, threw her back onto the bed. He nested himself between her legs, smirking at her from above.

“Ethan!”

“You couldn’t honestly expect me to keep my hands off you when you’re on top of me, only in your lingerie.”

Shaking her head, she stroked his shoulders.

“You have no patience.”

“And no self-control when it comes to you.” he agreed, his fingers tracing the patterns of the lacy material that barely covered anything. The tips of his digits skimmed over her sides, tickling her gently, and pulling a short laugh out of her.

Ethan hid his face in her neck, kissing her a few times and muttering some incoherent phrases. He dragged his teeth over the sensitive skin, growling lightly when he reached her ear.

“Get that dress on before I devour you again.”

\---------

Eventually, they found themselves sat at the private booth of their favorite restaurant; a hidden gem in the middle of Boston.

His view of Claire’s face was obstructed by the menu card, the only thing he could see were her eyes. And those eyes were straining from her food options to him far more often that one would think was necessary. The silent flirting was their thing, be it a subtle brush of fingers or a meaningful look.

The waiter approached them to take their orders soon after they took their seats. Ethan ordered his usual pick, then turned towards her, waiting for her to decide. With a silly grin, she turned towards the young man.

“Pasta casserole, please.”

With a nod, he turned towards the kitchen, leaving the pair to themselves. Ethan tried to suppress his smirk, but ultimately failed, earning her attention.

“It’s my birthday, you’re not allowed to make fun of me.” Claire warned him, shaking her finger at him playfully. He shrugged his shoulders innocently.

“I would _never_ make fun of you. Or judge your childish choice of food, even though you just turned 30.”

She gasped, pressing her hand to her chest in feigned pain. “You’re my boyfriend, how dare you throw this much shade.” A wide grin suddenly appeared on his face, catching her off guard. “What is it?”

“What?” Realizing what he was doing, he tried to shake the feeling off, but the giddiness refused to leave him. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You’re grinning because of something I said. What was it?” she pushed him for an answer, now smiling too, curiosity taking over her. Stubbornly, he shook his head, refusing to say anything. The grin persisted. “Was it me calling you my boyfriend?” she wondered out loud, observing how the grin grew even wider, an adorable blush coloring his cheeks. Nodding slowly, she slid closer to him, muttering deeply. “Boyfriend.” Ethan breathed out shakily, placing his hand to the small of her back. Claire pressed her lips to his ear, dropping her voice to a heady whisper. “ _My boyfriend_.”

“Just wait and see what I’m going to do to you once I get you all alone.”

“Yes, please.”

Their banter would have escalated to the dangerous heights if it wasn’t for the waiter that came back with their food and a bottle of champagne. Smiling politely, he poured them both a glass, then left with a slight nod.

Ethan took his glass, raising it to make a toast, the soft sound contrasting the palpable tension between them. “To you.”

\----------

The door to his apartment barely managed to close behind them when his arms wrapped around her, pulling her up and over his shoulder. His legs carried them both to the kitchen, where he deposited her on top of the counter, kissing her collarbone, exposing it when he pulled the material away from her neckline.

Not without trouble, he detached himself from her, walking towards the fridge. He presented her a perfectly made cake he spent half of his previous evening making, then set it down on the table and walked past her again, fetching candles and matches.

When everything was ready, he picked it up again and went back to stand in between her legs, raising the cake up to her.

“Make a wish.” Ethan muttered, lights dancing in their eyes. She blew out the candles without a moment of hesitation, staring right at him as the last flame died down.

Claire waited for him to put the cake securely down on the counter, then grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and hauled him onto her, claiming his lips in a hard kiss.

He groaned quietly, his surprise quickly fainting in favor of the desire that coursed through his veins again. Ethan kissed her back, grabbing her by her hips and sliding her closer to him, their bodies pressing against each other confidently.

“Tha-ank you.” she breathed out heavily, choking on her words when he rolled his hips into hers. She gripped his hair, pulling on it to keep him close.

“Don’t you want to see your present? Or- _christ, Claire_ – eat some cake?” he asked, but he didn’t really mean it. He couldn’t possibly think of anything else other than stripping them both down and taking her against any surface of his apartment they managed to reach. She nipped on his neck, sucking on his skin hard enough to make a mark.

“I want _you_. Anything else can wait.”

He ripped her dress off her body before her feet could touch the ground.


End file.
